A reader requested help with her kids’ rooms.  The first is for a 10 month old girl (her big brother’s room is coming soon).  She needs lots storage in a small (10’7″‘ x 11’) space.  They already have a white crib, changing table and the Play Spot in Pink & Brown by Skip Hop.  The crib bedding is pink and white.  I have filled in my own version of what they already have and then finished the room up.

1- Oeuf Sparrow Wardrobe in White– $1160
An armoire is fantastic for storage because it is vertical.  Any simple armoire would work here.  A low cost option is any thrift store or craigslist armoire that you can paint white.  You can use the inside to hang clothing or add shelves to hold toys.  If the closet is good storage then a bookshelf or even wall of shelving might be useful instead.  Some less expensive options include:

2- Oeuf Sparrow Crib White- $690
They already have a white crib but this is one that I like.

3- Nurseryworks Storytime Rocker in Microsuede– $800
With a 10 month old, they either have a seat in the room or don’t find the need for one.  This particular rocker is one of my favorites as the children get older because it’s perfect for, well, story time!  Some less expensive options are ($150, $143, $600):

4- Pink Enamel Mezzuzah– $60

5- Smila Blomma Lamps from Ikea– $10 each

6- ABC Alphabet Animals from Ink Tree Press on etsy- $25

7- Pink Zebra Print Pillow from MiCasaBella on etsy– $29

8- Trondheim 6 Drawer Dresser– $280
Dresser drawers provide a lot of great closed in storage for clothes, games, toys linen etc…  If you have more space you can put two dressers next two each other, mimicking built-in-storage.  I put a dresser here to stand in for the changing table they already have.  Hopefully, the changer has some good storage and can perhaps be used as one as their little girl grows.

9- Fillsta Hanging Lamp from Ikea– $40

10- Cotton Monkey Organic Sweet Jane Crib Separates– $300
I chose this organic bedding set to stand in for the pink and white set they already have.

I also highly recommend making the most of the bedroom closet with a custom closet system.  We were able to avoid using a dresser in my son’s room by building drawers into the closet.  This saved a lot of space in the room.  We also built in lots of shelving there as well which stores most of his toys.

Bins, baskets, and buckets are great for storage and make it easy for the kids to clean up.  Find a system that works for you and for the things you need to store.  We keep our baby’s stuffed animals in a large plastic tub in the corner. It’s easy to dump everything out for play and then throw it all right back in when we’re done.

The last thing, but possibly the most important thing in storing and organizing is to get rid of as much as you can.  Be brutal, prioritize and donate what you can.  That stuffed animal tub of ours is getting pretty full.  Instead of trying to find more places to put them, I’m just going to get rid of the ones that aren’t enjoyed as much.  If you have basement or garage storage, put some toys and things in bins and rotate what you keep in the kids’ rooms from time to time.  This keeps things fresh and interesting when they look for things to play with.